Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo is still getting buckets this summer. He dropped 54 points in a Miami Pro League game earlier this week.
Victor Oladipo doesn’t rest. The Indiana Pacers guard never stops getting buckets.
His 54 point performance in the Miami Pro League can attest to the fact he isn’t just getting fit down in Miami with his trainer. He nearly had a double-double with 8 rebounds while also finding time for two assists.
The win helped the HCG Diet Miami advance to the final four of the tournament as they knocked off defending champs G-Force and Tim Hardaway Jr. It’s no surprised “Overdose” was the player of the game.
Oladipo showed off his ability to knock down pull-up 3-pointers and get physical with larger opponents while still getting his shot off at the rim.
And oh yeah, there were dunks. Plenty of dunks.
https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1024689519415709696
I don’t know if this proves anything, but it’s a lot of fun to watch.
https://twitter.com/MiamiProLeague_/status/1024531907000844288
The Miami Pro League is one of several NBA sanctioned summer leagues where players drop in and remind you just how much better they are than even exceptionally talented human beings.
Leagues like this are part of the beauty of the culture around basketball. It’s summer and we’re still months away from the regular season, but Oladipo and other players can just show up and ball out after spending the weekend with Team USA.
As far as basketball goes, I like seeing Oladipo’s finishing in traffic. He does well enough in the NBA, but it’s an area he could improve on. Doing it against these guys is easier than going against the NBA’s best, but practice makes perfect, right?
And this reminds me what’s been so special about Oladipo and last season’s Pacers: I’m way too excited for the season to start. After back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, that was the expectation for the Pacers even after Paul George’s injury.
The Oladipo trade hit a reset button on expectations, and even though they clearly exceeded them in his first year, there is simply a different vibe around this current Indiana team.
The season can’t come soon enough, but for now, we can enjoy watching Oladipo clown on some guys at a pro-am.